It was thought that the 17-year-old would be out of action for up to six weeks after he suffered a suspected fracture to his right fibula at Downpatrick on Friday.

However, Kennedy met orthopaedic surgeon Paddy Kenny yesterday and the news was favourable.

He said: "I should be back in about three weeks' time, all going well. They thought it was my femur bone at the start but it wasn't that: I fractured my fibula and it is not a weight-bearing bone. I'm in no pain."

Kennedy has dominated the Irish jockeys' championship this season so far, and is comfortably clear at the top of the table, but he has downplayed any talk of a potential crown.

"A lot of people were getting carried away. Being realistic, once Ruby Walsh gets going, it'll be hard to beat him," said the Dingle native.

Empire Of Dirt, Colm Murphy's last Cheltenham winner as a trainer, is now in the care of Kennedy's boss, Gordon Elliott.

The son of Westerner won huge prize-money for Michael O'Leary's Gigginstown House Stud in his last couple of starts, snaring a €100,000 handicap chase at Leopardstown in January, before scoring at the Festival.

His victory in the Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate had Murphy, who trained Brave Inca, back in the headlines.

And the Gorey handler's decision to quit training, announced last week, will see some useful horses switch elsewhere. Colin Tizzard has acquired those horses owned by Alan Potts, while the JP McManus-owned Marlbrook will also move home.

Gigginstown's Eddie O'Leary said: "Hopefully he will turn into a horse for one of the Nationals."

Nicky Henderson's Hargam is set to have his first race since a poor run in the Champion Hurdle when he lines up at Tipperary on Sunday in the Istabraq Hurdle. Willie Mullins has entered Clondaw Warrior, Ivan Grozny, Renneti and Thomas Hobson.

Jet Setting, winner of the Irish 1,000 Guineas this season in a rags-to-riches tale, is set to take her chance in the Coolmore Stud Home Of Champions Concorde Stakes. She recently finished sixth behind the brilliant Alice Springs in the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown for trainer Adrian Keatley.

A replacement Flat meeting will take place at Limerick next Monday, while Roscommon - which lost its fixture on Monday - will now instead race on Monday, October 17.